


Isolation

by SarahEverton



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-20 03:10:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17614307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahEverton/pseuds/SarahEverton
Summary: A year after Alex and Maggie break up, they find themselves working together again by accident.Their mission doesn't exactly go as planned.With much still to talk about, will the two find each other again in the face of death?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I usually stop writing fics after a couple canonically breaks up. I haven't watched Supergirl since 3x01 to be honest.
> 
> But I watched The Punisher last week, and with the realistic possibility that Netflix cancels it, maybe there's hope for our ladies in season 4/5.
> 
> Enjoy this anyway.

Alex Danvers really only had one ex.

She realized this one night during dinner with Kara – when Kara was spilling about some of the beaus in her life and how tough it was to try and stay friends with so many people she’d been interested in one way or another.

And mid-nod – Alex thought back to her own life. Her awkward teenage years in Midvale – where she had her first kiss with a boy that asked her to prom. But that was never really a _relationship._

Then, during her crazy party years, she’d spent the night with more than one guy for one-night-stands, but they never stayed around long enough to get to know her.

The only person she could truly count, was a science division detective, somewhere within National City.

It had been about a year since they broke up, and apart from occasional crime scenes in the early stages – prompting awkward conversations and crazy heartbeat spikes that had her sister racing to her aid from the other side of the city – she hadn’t seen Maggie at all.

In fact, it had been several months since she’d last seen her. But thinking about Maggie only made things worse. Did she transfer to another city? Did she find a new girlfriend and get hitched somewhere? Or – _when Alex’s mind got dark –_ did something happen to her in the line of work?

Alex had thought about reaching out to her one way or the other – a phonecall, a text, maybe even knocking on her door after a long night at the bar.

But she hadn’t done any of those things. And Maggie remained _just_ an ex.

Someone that she thought about constantly, but didn’t dare to bring back into her life.

After all – their relationship had ended on a bitter note. Not a mutual decision between two people that loved each other unconditionally, as she initially thought.

The more she thought about the break-up, the more she realized that the two of them had just thrown themselves off a cliff head first, and only realized that they couldn’t go back when they were already six feet under water.

_Alex hated water metaphors._

She continued her job – excelling at it, in fact. Got promoted to assistant director. Declined the desk job that came with it in order to keep J’onn stationed at HQ and become the lead on pretty much every field mission the DEO had to offer – protection detail, recon, black ops…

She was _fine_. That’s what she told herself. It had been a year – she was fine.

Not dating anybody, and basically nauseous at the thought of finding someone else to love, but _fine_.

One night a few months ago, Kara had flown into her apartment after a long and exhausting building fire. Her suit was still smoldering, and soot covered her face, but a weak smile was plastered on her face as she gestured wildly, recreating the scene for Alex to picture.

“… eventually the NCPD shows up and I _know_ it’s arson, right?! Because there was gasoline _everywhere_. So anyway, I’m flying down to brief them and _immediately_ the fire chief starts yelling something at me. I’m trying to understand him over all the _fire_ and I’m keeping an eye on Maggie, and-…”

Alex’s heart had dropped at hearing the name. Kara noticed her slip immediately, recoiling. “I mean – she was _there_ and you know – she was trying to run inside to save people. I don’t think she saw that I was there because she- you know…”

As Kara cut off her nervous ramblings, Alex took a shaky breath and changed the subject.

That was the last time she’d heard her _ex_ ’s name.

The detective no longer had anything to do with the DEO. Instead of a liaison, the NCPD now had a joint alien taskforce. The NCPD shared their alien intel with the DEO, who in return provided equipment to improve the science division. Alex ocassionally sat in the meetings and read the minutes to stay up to date, but didn’t actively participate.

Alex supposed some of her inventions had to have been in Maggie’s hands one way or the other, though.

She didn’t even want to consider just how many times a day her _ex_ was on her mind.

“ _Assistant-Director Danvers_. Are you listening?!”

Her head shot up from her musings, as she took in the room and found three faces staring back at her.

Including a very pissed looking general, who had introduced himself as an army bigshot a few hours prior.

Because – _of course_. She was thinking about Maggie in one of the most important meetings of her career.

“My apologies.” She stated quickly, hoping that the man wouldn’t elaborate.

With a huff, he continued his statement.

She quickly scanned over her notes. The military was doing top secret, undisclosed things on a small island in the Pacific Ocean, a few hours away from National City. Lately, some type of interdimensional interference had been noted in the vicinity of the base.

The military was out of their depth, and didn’t want to spill national secrets. So they reached out to the _even more secretive_ government organization for help. National City was the closest branch.

From initial tests and pictures, it appeared like some type of portal had been opened on the island. Alex had recognized the description of the portal vaguely, but couldn’t place it anywhere.

One of her most trustworthy lab engineers had already taken the stand, explaining that with the vagueness of the intel and the absence of actual parameters, there was nothing the DEO could do but speculate on millions of possible scenarios. But the general seemed less than interested in having the DEO poke around – as was currently becoming clear through his long-winded explanation.

“… can’t just let _anybody_ in there – if that base is compromized in any way, shape or form, the entire nation… hell, the entire _planet_ could be screwed!”

“ _General_.” Alex started, getting up from her chair to silence him. “…If all you really care about is the cover of this army base, then it’s imperative that we identify the threat as soon as possible. If hostile extraterrestrials set foot on that island, they won’t be so keen on keeping secrets as we are. Either you let us help you neutralize the threat, or you can walk out that door right now.”

Alex knew that J’onn’s eyes would start glowing red at her any second now, but she didn’t care. This meeting was important, yes. A matter of national security.

But her _entire job_ was a matter of national security.

_This_ was solving someone else’s problems who didn’t appear to want her help anyway.

The general cleared his throat. “All we want is the safety and security of the base.”

“Then, I propose that a task force flies out to the base to collect intel, and starts pinpointing where exactly that portal leads to.”

A few minutes later, she was gearing up.

“ _Hey_.” Her sister’s voice rang out behind her, and Alex turned around – halfway through shrugging her arms into a black turtleneck. Kara raised a duffle bag. “ _I got the stuff_.”

Alex smirked weakly – knowing that the bag contained a go-bag of clothes and toiletries in case they were on the island for a while.

Her sister was dressed in an outfit that looked like she flew straight from CatCo – and Alex frowned. “Shouldn’t you be changing?”

“Oh, I’m flying with you in the jet, actually.” Kara responded. “Last-minute change of plans. The General didn’t want Supergirl to come, so I’m posing as one of the scientists.”

Alex frowned at that. “Wait – why wouldn’t he want you to come?”

The blonde shrugged. “No idea – the entire military doesn’t seem too fond of Supergirl anyway. My guess is that it’s because they can’t handle that a woman is stronger than all of them combined.”

Alex nodded slowly. Having Kara on _any_ mission was invaluable. If that meant she had to keep a cover, then so be it.

“Let’s go – there’s a chopper on the roof that’ll get us to the airfield.”

Kara beamed. “I mean – I _know_ this is going to sound weird but I’ve _always_ wanted to be in a chopper! It’s so… _action movie_ -like!”

Alex laughed, and shook her head. “Come on, _action star_. They’ll be waiting for us.”

* * *

 

Keeping Kara’s cover also meant that she couldn’t do any of the heavy lifting.

Literally.

Seeing the hundreds of pounds of machines, equipment and flight cases on the tarmac, Alex grunted.

“ _Cheer up, Danvers. At least you’ll be able to skip the gym tonight_!”

Alex and Kara turned around to see Milo, Alex’s right hand and chief bioengineer at the DEO, walking towards them.

When Alex had told J’onn that she needed an extra pair of hands, she’d kind of hoped that he’d be the one to join her. Alex and Milo worked together perfectly, sometimes only using one-word sentences to share information.

And even though Alex was Assistant Director of the DEO, she still considered Milo an authority figure on many levels.

For starters – she was recruited in _his_ bioengineering team, not the other way around. Milo was an extraordinary talent that the DEO was lucky to have. And even though he hadn’t gone a day in the field, a _lot_ of field missions would have gone much worse if not for his inventions and applications.

Even more – her and Milo shared an undeniable connection. It was almost like he was a brother. Not as strongly as Kara or Winn, but definitely someone that could call her any time of day for anything, and she’d drop whatever she was doing to help him.

In another lifetime they’d have been married by now, they often mused together.

Alex grinned at the sight of him.

“Start lifting, then. Looks like you could use it more than me.” She fired back.

Milo raised his hands in mock defense, and reached for a flight case. “Excited to be bunk mates at last. The two of us, together on an island, sharing a romantic picnick…”

“Keep on dreaming.” Alex said, ostentatiously putting another container on top of the case already in his hands.

The three of them started to load the equipment into the private jet. Once inside, Milo had inquired about Kara – not recognizing her through the disguise.

Of course Kara spent time at the DEO dressed as herself, but only a handful of people within the DEO actually knew about her alter ego – they just thought she was another employee.

It was one secret that Alex couldn’t share with Milo, even though she wanted to.

So as Kara popped her head into the jet with the last of the equipment, Alex motioned to her and introduced her as Dr. Jade Fisher, a resident alien researcher at the DEO.

“ _Agent Danvers, we’re cleared for departure_.” The voice of the pilot rang through the intercom.

Alex headed for the cockpit to talk to the pilot about arrival times and flight routes. As she passed by the entrance, she bumped into a figure that had just made their way onto the jet.

She jumped back instinctively, her back hitting the side of the plane.

“ _Room for one more?_ ” The figure asked, tilting their head.

Alex felt her heart skip a few beats at the sight of Maggie standing in front of her.

Dressed in black pants and a sleek blue top, a gun and badge on her hip and the same _damn_ smirk on her face.

_Maggie_.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“It’s been a minute.”  Maggie said, breaking the silence.

“What are you doing here?” Alex countered, cringing inwardly at the hostile tone. She was more confused than anything.

It was a _top secret_ mission to a _top secret_ military site.

Running into her here after all this time was almost comical.

“J’onn called me.” Maggie responded. “He described the portal from a case I worked about a year back – thought I could help out. _Expert witness_ and all.”

Alex nodded slowly, her throat completely dry.

“ _Agent Danvers? Are we good to go?_ ” The pilot’s voice rang out once more.

Alex cleared her throat quickly, and passed by Maggie to head to the cockpit.

After a brief discussion with the man, Alex moved back to where Maggie was leaning against the door. She plastered a professional, serious look on her face, and looked at the detective. “Have you been briefed?”

“ _Briefly_.”

Alex clenched her jaw to keep from sighing exasperatedly at the pun.

Maggie apparently noticed her unamusement, and nodded. “J’onn told me what I need to know.”

She still had the damn smirk on her face.

Alex didn’t see the humor in spending at least 24 hours with Maggie on an isolated island somewhere in the middle of the ocean with only her sister and Milo as a buffer.

For now, she willed herself to focus on work. Maggie was a professional. They had to keep this friendly but distant.

“ _Detective_.” Alex said, motioning to the other two passengers. “This is Milo Stevens, head of the bioengineering department of the DEO… And _this_ is Jade Fisher, resident alien researcher at the DEO.”

Maggie frowned and opened her mouth, but whatever she was about to say was cut off when Alex continued quickly. “And _this_ is Maggie Sawyer, NCPD detective.”

“Head of _Metahuman and Extraterrestrial Investigations_ of the NCPD, actually.” Maggie said, shaking both Kara’s and Milo’s hand. “Pleased to meet the two of you.”

Alex felt her cheeks glow red at the awkwardness of it all. Maggie barely seemed fazed though, as she was laughing at something Milo had apparently said.

The _MEI_ has only recently been created – an experiment from the NCPD to try and emancipate from the DEO’s parenting role. They worked separately from the task force the DEO and the science division had set up.

It _would_ explain why she hadn’t seen Maggie around for the last few months. And without the detective to ask her for help on active crimes, Alex didn’t really head to crime scenes for any aftermath investigations anymore.

“You got promoted.” Alex stated, as she and Maggie took opposing seats, feeling the plane starting to taxi.

Maggie shrugged. “It was kind of my idea to begin with, so they let me in charge of it.”

The hidden message there wasn’t lost on Alex.

_I tried to find a way to never have to work with the DEO on alien related crimes again._

“That’s great.” Alex managed, a fake smile appearing on her face. “Any big cases yet?”

“We busted a few alien drug dealers, and have mapped the entire Draghis gang all over town. And last week, we eliminated a Garzonian mob leader that was planning on eliminating the mayor.”

Alex nodded slowly, trying her best to look supportive, but not overly excited.

Maggie picked up on the vibe quickly, tilting her head. “I know to _you_ that all looks like run-of-the-mill policing, but we’re actually doing things to make National City safer every day.”

“No, I got you.” Alex said quickly. “It sounds great.”

Maggie didn’t buy it one second. “Is the thought that the NCPD could actually solve alien crimes without the help of the DEO _that_ ridiculous to you?”

“I didn’t say that!” Alex shot back. “I’m happy for you!”

From the corners of her eyes, she saw that Kara and Milo were staring at them. Alex cleared her throat quickly, and glanced out the plane window.

Touching down on the island couldn’t come fast enough.

The remaining hour on the plane was spent in excruciating, awkward silence.

* * *

 

As soon as Alex set foot on the island, she saw the barrels of what felt like fifty guns pointed at her.

Safety precautions, probably.

She’s just glad they didn’t shoot down the jet.

A man in uniform walked over to them, and nodded politely. “You must be Director Danvers.”

Alex nodded, not bothering to correct the man. Whenever J’onn was away on business, she was in charge anyway.

“My callsign is Zulu. We don’t use names on this base.” The man continued. “I’m going to have to ask you and your team to follow me, and don’t stray. If you enter a restricted area without permission, you’ll be shot down.”

Alex watched as Maggie, Kara and Milo made their way down the airstair, and took in the guns. She noticed Maggie’s hand moving to her holster nervously. She understood the reflex – having had it herself the second she noticed the guns.

“Follow closely behind.” Alex instructed her team.

“What about the gear?” Milo asked.

“I’ll have it brought to your workspace.” Zulu replied. “I’ll show you to the site.”

Alex liked the man’s forwardness. She was eager to get to business to get the visit on the island over with as soon as possible.

A few hours ago, spending time with Maggie seemed like something that she’d been yearning for for the past couple of months. Going on a mission with her, just like old times. Them having each others backs…

But now that Maggie was here, right in front of her, Alex felt like she was going to be sick.

Because for some childish reason, she’d imagined the Maggie she knew and loved to be back. To have some initial awkwardness, but to eventually have the instantaneous spark once more.

Not the Maggie one year later, that had apparently changed in ways she couldn’t even understand.

And honestly, with how intelligent Alex knew she was – she cursed herself for not considering this.

“There’s a jungle that takes up about half of the island.” Zulu explained, stopping her train of thought. “The portal appeared a few clicks southwest from here. The base is mostly underground.”

“I suppose you’re not going to tell us what is is exactly you do here?” Kara piped up from her position in the back.

Zulu glanced backwards. “No. Not at all. In fact – as soon as we get down the first hour will be signing NDA’s.”

“ _Joy_.” Milo deadpanned.

Alex allowed Milo to pass her, noticing him striking up a very one-sided conversation with Zulu in front. She moved down to where Maggie and Kara were walking.

“Bother to explain to me why you’re using a pseudo?” Maggie asked Kara, meeting Alex’s eyes as soon as the other woman turned around.

“It’s a long story.” Alex responded in Kara’s place. “The Girl of Steel and the US Defence forces have never been the best of friends.”

Maggie nodded slowly, and apparently wanted to leave it at that.

Two steps later, Kara stopped dead in her tracks.

Zulu and Milo were apparently oblivious, walking along. But Alex noticed that something was wrong instantly. And with her – Maggie halted too. “What’s wrong?”

“I-…” Kara stammered, stumbling forward. Before she could continue, she doubled over, clutching her head. Alex’s eyes widened, as she ran towards her, and caught Kara before she could topple to the ground. “Hey… _Kara_ , what is it?!”

Kara was mumbling incoherently, and gasping for air. Maggie put a hand on Kara’s back for comfort, before meeting Alex’s eyes. “You _know_ what it is, Danvers.”

It was the first time that Maggie had acknowledged her personally – but that didn’t matter for now.

Because she was right – it _could_ only mean one thing.

_Kryptonite._

How the hell was that possible?

Alex’s mind started racing.

“What the _fuck_ did I say?!” Zulu’s angry voice rang in her ears, but Alex ignored him in favor of supporting her sister by the arms.

She heard Maggie respond calmly, though. “She’s collapsed – I think it’s the heat. Anywhere cool we can put her?”

Zulu didn’t seem too thrilled at the prospect of his schedule being held back, but he nodded anyway. “There’s a bunker close by.”

“You go on ahead – Milo, can you help him? We’ll stay back here and make sure she’s okay before we move her. It could have something to do with the jungle as well.”

Zulu and Milo took off in the direction of a bunker, leaving Maggie and Alex alone with a whimpering Kara. As soon as they were out of earshot, Alex sighed. “ _Fuck_. For all we know, that bunker is stockpiling kryptonite. We can’t just let her go in there.”

Maggie’s eyes flitted back and forth, apparently calculating a plan. “She seemed fine when we got off the jet – so we’d have to go back there to get her back on her feet.”

“This is why they wouldn’t let Supergirl come.” Alex grunted. “It’s a test site for synthetic kryptonite.”

“Good thing they’re trying to destroy the only two aliens that are actually trying to do some _good_ in this world.”

Alex repeated the statement over and over in her head a few times. Because that one little sarcastic retort was enough to understand that something had completely changed Maggie in the year that she’d been absent.

Maggie, who usually gave aliens the benefit of the doubt, educating _her_ in many ways about how aliens are refugees too, slaves, repressed people… survivors that made it to Earth.

The new Maggie didn’t seem to give a damn about any of them.

“It… _h-hurts_ …” Kara cried, thick tears streaming down her cheeks. Alex had seen her sister injured many times before, but this pathetic sobbing broke her heart. It was a plea filled with pain.

_Please get me out of here._

Without another thought, Alex pulled her sister into her arms, and glanced over at Maggie. “I’m getting her back to the jet, and flying her back until she’s strong enough to fly to National City on her own. You tell Zulu that something came up and we have to postpone the visit.”

“No way in hell.” Maggie grunted, before reaching into her holster and pulling out her gun. “I’ll take point. Stick close behind me.”

A small smirk appeared, as she made sure that Kara was as comfortable as possible in her arms, before Maggie set off back into the jungle, and she trailed close behind her.

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

_Shot on sight._

Alex didn’t like the prospect. Especially given Kara’s current status, that would render her no longer bulletproof.

She prayed to whatever gods would listen that she could go back in time and keep her sister away from the island.

But now, she could only move forward, and hope that their plan worked out.

Maggie was moving methodically, checking behind every tree and branch possible to avoid traps or unwelcome enemies. Alex watched her work, and noticed a lot of new techniques that the detective picked up.

She must’ve had additional combat training in some way.

“Hold on, Kar.” Alex whispered. “We’re almost out.”

She was met with more pained sobs. Alex felt another pang of guilt in her chest, willing herself not to think about how the US army finally had Supergirl on her knees, quite literally begging for mercy.

The thought that the army was secretly cooking up synthetic kryptonite just to keep Supergirl contained made her blood boil. But she couldn’t act on it now.

For now, she just had to keep cool, have Maggie’s back and keep Kara safe.

The irony of the situation being exactly what she hoped for didn’t go lost on her.

“We should be reaching open land soon.” Maggie whispered back towards her. “The jet should be about a minute away, but if those guards are back…”

“They won’t shoot us on sight if we’re walking back to our plane, though.” Alex replied. “We’ll just say we forgot her medication inside.”

Maggie nodded slowly, wiping the sweat off her forehead and holstering her pistol, before stepping out of the treeline, and walking briskly. Not too fast to startle them, but not too slow to still show purpose.

Alex followed her out of the jungle and into the clearing. But as they approached the airstrip, they both noticed the huge problem immediately.

The jet was gone.

Maggie looked around and saw a nearby soldier walking out of a cabin-looking structure. “ _Hey_!”

She ran towards him, pointing back. “She needs help – her medication is still on the plane. Where is it?!”

The soldier didn’t seem fazed. Alex watched as Maggie launched into a heated argument with the man, using wild hand gestures. “She’s going to _die_ if we don’t get her medication soon!... Well _turn it around_ then! Tell the pilot to come back!”

The radio on the soldier’s belt cracked to life, as a distorted voice shouted commands that Alex couldn’t understand from the distance she was at.

At least Kara seemed to be a _bit_ better, being away from the jungle.

The man reached for the radio, and answered. Alex saw how Maggie instinctively took a few steps backwards, actually taken aback by whatever had been communicated.

Alex didn’t need to know the exact context, when the man raised his automatic rifle, and pointed it at Maggie’s chest. “You disobeyed strict orders to stay close to your Officer!”

“She’s _sick_!” Maggie yelled back, seemingly unafraid of the barrel being pointed at her heart. “This isn’t a fucking _coup_ , we just want to get her help!”

The soldier now laid eyes on Kara’s form in Alex’s arms for the first time, and his expression softened slightly at the sight of the state Kara was in. But he still didn’t lower the rifle.

“She left her insulin on the plane.” Maggie continued, as Alex moved closer. “ _Please_ , sir.”

The man finally lowered the barrel, and reached for the radio once more. “Oscar Nine Three for Radio Tower – can we get an ETA on the Cessna?”

Maggie glanced back towards Kara, a concerned look in her eyes.

An unintelligeble reply.

“10-4.”

The soldier looked up. “She’s coming back around in eight hours – she had to refuel on the mainland.”

“Eight hours… she doesn’t _have_ eight hours.” Maggie huffed.

“Well, she should have thought of that before she left her stuff on the plane.” The soldier responded. “But there might be insulin in the medical room in the base.”

“Could you check?” Alex finally spoke up.

The soldier nodded, and took a few steps, reaching for the radio. Before he could, however, he froze in his tracks, staring at Kara. He blinked a few times, and then clicked the radio to life. “Base, this is Oscar Nine Three. We have a code Tango India.”

Alex immediately felt uneasy at hearing the callout.

A medical emergency over radio usually warranted further explanation. Tango India could mean that that urgent medical assistance was required, but why would he call it in without offering up a location…?

Alex stumbled back a bit, not liking where her thoughts were going. Maggie apparently hadn’t reached the same conclusion, but locked eyes with her nonetheless. As soon as Alex ran back into the jungle, the soldier yelled and raised his rifle.

A shot rang out. Alex braced for impact, closing her eyes, but then realized that the single shot couldn’t have come from an automatic weapon.

She glanced back to see Maggie, pistol raised, and hovering above the soldier now lying on the ground, a pool of blood spreading behind his head.

“ _Shit_.” Maggie cursed. She glanced up. “You go ahead. Be careful. Try to get some cover.”

Alex wanted to protest, and ask her what she was planning, but she figured it out soon enough, once Maggie reached for the soldier’s arms, and started dragging him into the treeline.

Getting him out of sight should be enough to keep them preoccupied. For now.

Of course, a highly trained military base wasn’t exactly the ideal playground of stealth strats.

But they were in it together.

“ _Maggie_.” Alex whispered loudly, as soon as Maggie was done dragging the body. She motioned her head towards what looked like an overgrown hatch in the ground, a few feet away.

Maggie ran towards it, and felt around for a handle. Finally, she yanked at it with all her might, until the hatch gave way and creaked open.

For all they knew, there could be a highly functional bunker waiting for them, with armed gunmen shooting them down instantly.

But even though Alex didn’t like the odds, she knew they had to try. They had killed a soldier – they were fugitives on the island. And if what she feared was true, then the army knew by now that Kara was more than just a sick researcher.

After all, there had to be _some_ way they figured out how kryptonite poisoning worked.

“Okay… it’s dark.” Maggie whispered, starting the climb down the iron ladder. “I’ll tell you when it’s safe.”

“Be careful.” Alex supplied needlessly.

But Maggie seemed to be appreciating the afterthought, as she smirked weakly in Alex’s direction before disappearing into the hole.

After a few agonizing seconds of looking around and attempting to spot any hostiles, Alex heard the vague sound of an alarm being sounded on the island.

A siren.

Her heart nearly stopped.

If the base really was going to a new level of threat liquidation, the three of them were sincerely fucked.

She hoped that Milo was safe.

“ _Okay, come down_. _Kara first._ ”

Alex sighed in relief upon hearing Maggie’s voice, and positioned herself to carefully slide Kara into the hole.

Maggie was waiting downstairs, guiding her through the drop-off. As soon as Kara was secure in Maggie’s arms, Alex herself went down the hole, closing the hatch behind her and praying that it wouldn’t be seen from a distance.

“It looks like an old bunker, not in use.” Maggie said, whispering through the darkness. Alex’s eyes weren’t adjusted yet – she couldn’t even see her own hand in front of her face.

“They’re going to find us. We can’t stay here, we’ll be trapped rats.”

“We have the element of surprise.” Maggie countered. “And guns.”

A weak moan filled the darkness. Alex tried to move around, but found herself waving her arms around instead. “Kara, you okay?”

“It’s… I think it’s getting better.”

“That’s _something_.” Maggie said. “It looks about ten by twenty, no doors or windows, and no furniture.”

Alex nodded, unsure if Maggie could see her. For a while, it stayed silent – broken only by Kara’s panting.

“Is there any way to contact J’onn?” Maggie finally spoke again. “Tell him we’re in trouble?”

“I don’t think so. There’s no reception here, and my watch only pings Kara.”

“Winn gets a message every time I’m alerted.” Kara interjected weakly. “…If he’s at his desk.”

Maggie checked her own watch. “It’s 8 PM – let’s hope Schott’s still a workaholic.”

Alex opened her watch, and pressed the button. A low beeping became audible. With it, Alex could finally pinpoint where Maggie was standing.

“I think I can stand up again.” Kara said, carefully maneuvring herself out of Maggie’s arms and onto the ground. Alex squinted, and now saw the vague outline of Maggie holding kara by the waist and watching her intently.

A bit dizzy and unstable, but Kara was finally on her own two feet again.

That was one problem down.

Now for the impending doom.

“The hatch is the only way in.” Maggie said.

“Or out.” Alex countered.

A breathy exhale made it clear that Maggie had appreciated the remark. “Yeah. My guess would be-…”

Before she could continue, the room was bathed in light so fast it actually made Alex’s eyes burn. She doubled over, covering her eyes with her hands.

Loud noises enveloped her, making her ears ring. Someone yelled out, but she couldn’t understand it. The ringing became louder and louder, as the other sounds dulled.

“…- _Lex! Maggie!... ALEX!”_

Finally, the sound sharpened again, and Alex dared to open her eyes. Once again, everything was pitch black, except for a green, glowing rock in the center of the room.

Alex’s eyes widened once she realized what it was.

“ _Kara?!_ ” She yelled, looking around but unable to see anything in the complete darkness.

“ _Alex, help me!_ ” Kara yelled back, sounding hysterical.

The agent stumbled forward, until she finally hit the wall with her hands. She traveled down the wall until Kara’s heavy breathing and groaning became louder.

Alex cursed the soldiers for attempting to solve the problem in such a cowardish way.

Finally, her hands hit something soft – what felt like a human leg. She kneeled down – why was Kara on the ground?

“ _Alex_ …” Kara sobbed.

Alex’s heart stopped when her hands hit something sticky and warm.

Because at the same time, Kara put a hand on her shoulder from behind.

And if it wasn’t Kara in front of her, then…

“S-she jumped in front of me! I-it happened so _fast_!”

Alex couldn’t breathe.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

“D- _Danvers_ …”

The short word was followed by a strangled groan.

Alex swallowed thickly, and tried not to panic. “ _Hey_ … you’re okay.”

The immediate reassurance was met with a scoff. “You can’t even _see_ anything.”

Alex reached for the phone in her back pocket, and pulled it out, activating the flashlight.

Immediately recoiling at the sight in front of her.

Maggie was propped up against the wall, her hands thick with blood and holding pressure on something in her side. Her face was pale and sweaty, but she managed to turn her head at the burning light shining in her eyes.

Alex averted the beam immediately, putting the phone down on the ground to have at least some light to work with.

“It was kryptonite.” Maggie grunted. “Some sort of shrapnel bomb.”

“You saved me.” Kara whispered, sliding down the wall herself.  When Alex sent a concerned look her way, the blonde raised her arm in a diminishing gesture. “I’m fine. Just exposure – nothing hit me.”

“ _Good_.” Maggie choked out, before her eyes found Alex’s face once more. “Don’t worry – it’s not bad.”

“I should be the one saying that to _you_.” Alex retorted.

A weak grin appeared on Maggie’s face. “I’ve had worse, don’t worry. Just give me a sec to catch my breath.”

Alex raised an eyebrow at the bloody sight. If Maggie really thought she’d be able to continue running around the jungle in her state, she was very much mistaking.

The detective seemed to notice the hesitation. “ _Danvers_. Check on your sister. Don’t worry about me.”

Through all of her earlier worrying, that statement hurt like a punch in the gut. Because it was so _Maggie_ …

… In that second, it felt like nothing had changed.

But the moment was over rather quickly, when Maggie emitted another cry of pain, attempting to pull herself up from the ground.

Alex’s eyes widened, and she rushed forward to help, but Maggie ignored her in favor of putting both hands on the wall and weakly moving her legs up.

“You shouldn’t do that.” Was Kara’s weak whisper. Maggie actually stopped this time, to turn her head to look the superhero in the eyes.

“I don’t care.”

“You _should_. I don’t want you getting hurt any more.” It was weak, but the serious look on her face made it obvious that Kara wasn’t in the mood for any more sacrifices. “Just stay down for a bit and let Alex help you while I figure something out.”

Alex felt her heart pound painfully in her chest as she watched the detective take a deep breath and sag back down onto the floor.

But when she moved in again to help put pressure on her side, Maggie visibly recoiled.

Alex froze, her hands halfway outstretched. The last thing she wanted was to make anything awkward, but if the blood stains on the dusty concrete floor were any indication – this was a matter of life and death.

She watched Kara get up, apparently feeling better. The initial explosion had to have disoriented her. The blonde took a deep breath, and glanced up at the ladder and hatch. “They won’t be coming back immediately – otherwise they would have breached differently.”

She turned around to meet Alex’s eyes. “Right?!”

Alex nodded slowly, only too happy to distract herself from the awkwardness of Maggie’s behavior. “Uh – yeah. If they wanted to kill us, they would have shot us on sight. Not drop a bomb down the-”

“- _Alex_.” Kara interrupted her, her eyes wide. “You’re hurt too.”

Kara motioned down to her shoulder, and Alex glanced down towards it. In the dim light of the phone, Alex could see that her turtleneck had ripped, revealing a piece of shrapnel from the bomb lodged in her skin.

Further observation made it obvious that it was lodged pretty deep, but Alex knew that it wasn’t close to any major arteries. So she settled on reaching for it with the intention of pulling it out.

Before she could reach it, however, Maggie’s voice filled the room sharply. “ _Don’t_!”

Alex stopped inches before her target, and glanced down to where Maggie was sitting, a concerned expression on her face. The woman seemed to recompose herself again instantly, because the second after that, her expression became unreadable as she cleared her throat. “I mean – it could be doing damage. We don’t know what effect synthetic kryptonite has on humans.”

A heavy silence fell after that, broken only by Maggie’s ragged breathing. It was obvious that she was hurting, but without letting Alex see the extent of her wounds, the agent had no idea _how bad_.

“Maybe they’re smoking us out?” Kara finally said. “Waiting until we come back to detain us?”

“J’onn told me to call as soon as we got settled.” Alex said, reaching for her phone to pick it up. “I saw that there wasn’t any service on the island – they’re probably jamming phone frequencies.”

The DEO had briefly experimented with similar technology, before realizing that it wasn’t useful to jam frequencies in the middle of Downtown National City.

“If we don’t answer, he’ll come looking for us, right?” Kara said.

“It would take some time to get worried.” Alex countered. “But we’ve been here for about an hour now, and I usually don’t miss check-ins unless something’s wrong. But even then – he can’t exactly fly over here.”

“We activated the watch.” Maggie grunted from the ground. “That’ll gain some attention, hopefully. And I sent an emergency code to my guys earlier when things went to hell.”

_Her guys_.

Alex briefly wondered what it meant.

“Of course, they don’t have _flying aliens_ like you guys do.” Maggie continued, the slurring in her words just _barely_ audible. “… But they might get here first anyway.”

“Maybe Milo got word out.” Kara said. “When he noticed that we disappeared.”

Alex knew deep inside that Milo couldn’t have gotten word out if he wanted to. But she decided to humor her sister either way.

“Yeah. Maybe he did.”

“So we just wait?” Kara asked. “Until somebody knows we’re gone and comes to help us?”

It wasn’t really Alex’s style to play the damsel in distress – she’d only done it a handful of times, only when there was absolutely _no_ chance of getting out of a situation alive.

Like Malverne’s water tank.

But even then she’d taken action to prolong the inevitable as much as possible. And she was planning on doing the same.

Ignoring Maggie’s earlier complaints, she reached for the piece of shrapnel in her shoulder, and yanked it out in a singular motion, throwing it onto the ground.

She had her sister to protect, and Maggie to keep from getting even more hurt.

“Stay away from the hatch.” She told Kara. “How are your powers?”

“If I use my heat vision I’ll probably solar flare.” The blonde responded, glancing down at the numerous pieces of green shrapnel, and particularly the large chunk of rock in the center of the room.

When her eyes met Alex’s again, Kara turned around and touched the wall behind her, apparently looking for something. “There’s tunnels all around us, probably connecting to the base. The closest one is a couple of yards away.”

Alex watched her shuffle around the edge of the bunker to the other side, before touching the wall again. “I’m not at full power, but I can try.”

“The question is – will they expect it?” Maggie offered up from the floor.

“If they wanted her to use her powers, they wouldn’t have bombed us with kryptonite.” Alex answered. “I think it’s a gamble we have to take.”

She turned back to her sister. “Kara – where does that tunnel lead to?”

“Most of the walls of the actual rooms are lined with lead – only the tunnels are visible.” Kara said, squinting. “But there aren’t any people walking around nearby.”

“Okay.” Alex nodded. “Do it.”

“I say we stay here.”

Alex and Kara halted in their movements, to turn back to the detective on the floor.

Alex shot her an incredulous look. “What?”

Maggie shrugged weakly. “You said it yourself – there’s people coming for us. No need to start punching in walls and running around.”

Kara apparently opted to stay out of it, leaning back against the wall. But Alex wasn’t so eager to let it go. “What are you talking about?! We need to do something before _you_ bleed out and _Kara_ gets kryptonite poisoning!”

“We’re both fine right now.”

“That could change.”

“It’ll probably change faster if we end up on the wrong side of a barrel because you decided to fuck around and get us killed.”

Alex opened her mouth to respond immediately, but felt herself deflate upon hearing the words. Behind her, she could feel Kara stepping closer towards her, but she didn’t care.

“What the _hell_ happened to you, that you’re being like this?!” She finally shot towards the figure on the ground. “This isn’t _you_!”

“Well, then, maybe you didn’t really know the _real_ me to begin with.” Maggie huffed.

Even though the words were meant to be a punch in the gut, Alex barely felt it. Because she knew it was dead wrong.

“No – _no_. The Maggie that I knew just jumped in front of Kara to save her life – _that’s_ the real you. I don’t know whatever act you’re trying to put on but it’s absolute bullshit. You’d be the first to try and get out of here.”

Maggie apparently seemed to have had enough, because she finally scrambled to get back on her feet, just barely hunched over, and threw an accusing finger her way, completely caked with blood. “Of course you wouldn’t see logic when it punched you in the face, Danvers. If we stay here, we can wait until they realize that there’s been a misunderstanding, and-…”

“You _really_ think that all of this was just a fucking _misunderstanding_?!” Alex shot back, her eyes wide. “They were trying to shoot and _kill_ her! This entire _island_ is made to kill her!”

“I KNOW THAT!” Maggie yelled back, finally tired of keeping up pretenses. “Of course I fucking know that!” She quieted down immediately after that, taking a weak breath and swaying on her feet before steadying herself using the wall.

“Kara, I- I’m sorry.”

Kara frowned, having watched the shouting match from the other side of the room and ready to jump in at the second it escalated. “Why are you sorry, Maggie? You saved me.”

Alex turned back to the detective now as well. Even though her blood was still boiling, she was now beginning to see that there might be an explanation to Maggie’s strange behavior.

“Because…” Maggie sighed, closing her eyes. When she opened them again, her eyes were staring right into Alex’s.

“… Because the tests with synthetic kryptonite were my idea.”


	5. Chapter 5

A silence so deafening, that Kara felt the blood pound painfully in her ears.

Surely she had to have misheard Maggie. Okay – her and Alex weren’t together anymore. And she barely saw Maggie once a month on crime scenes or helping out the NCPD.

But… something inside her was absolutely convinced that Maggie would have her back any time. Like minutes ago, when she shielded her with her own body from certain death by kryptonite.

… she _had_ to have misheard her. Right?!

“You have… _five_ seconds to start explaining this.” Came Alex’s cold, calculated voice. Kara’s stomach turned upon hearing it – that voice was usually reserved for the silence before the storm. If her sister was using _that_ voice… someone would get hurt, or worse.

That voice was only for when somebody messed with Alex’s family.

And the fact that it was her ex-fiancée on the other side made Kara’s head spin.

Maggie opened and closed her mouth a few times, before taking a deep breath. “It’s complicated.”

“No it’s _not_. Start _talking_.”

The pitiless tone Alex was using didn’t go lost on her.

The detective chuckled humorlessly. “Alright – _fine_. A couple of months ago, there was a big meeting in DC about alien control. Whether the country was going for a more liberal policy, or focusing on alien containment. Because of the MEI’s efforts to individualize alien crime policies, they invited me.”

Kara nodded slowly. _So far, so good._

“Anyway – I was there to plead for state legislation. We can’t use the same alien-related policies for Smalltown, Missouri and National City. There needs to be an individual approach to each city. We have Supergirl, Metropolis has Superman, Gotham has the Bat, but the rest of the cities in the US need military to handle aliens and metahumans.”

Kara felt Alex tense up from the other side of the bunker. Sure, Maggie was taking the long road, but the detective wouldn’t tell them all this if it weren’t necessary.

“The consensus of the meeting was that National City was a prime example of metahuman and alien management. There’s a DEO HQ, a specialized NCPD branch with task forces, and of course – _you_.” Maggie nodded in Kara’s direction. “If either of those three failed, the other two would pick up the slack.”

“What did you _do_.”

The accusation was heavy. Alex seemed to have had enough backstory. An indignant scowl plastered on her face, as the agent looked ready to pounce as soon as she had a valid reason to.

Maggie nodded slowly. “The Secretary of Defense wanted us to set up a failsafe plan. A case study of National City, to use on other large cities. And one of the biggest questions he had was-…”

“ _What if Supergirl failed._ ”

The detective nodded at Kara’s insertion. “Exactly.”

“So they ordered you to set up a plan in case I had to be contained.” Kara nodded. It was far from pleasant to know that the country she worked so hard to serve was so weary of her that they’d spent millions of tax payers’ money just to test how to keep her down. But she could _understand_ where Maggie was coming from. It was a hypothetical situation that got blown out of proportion.

Alex, however, didn’t seem to agree with her at all. “You could have walked away. You could have _made something up_ instead of giving them _kryptonite_. What if the military gets the wrong idea and decides to end her anyway, with or without reason?!”

“I made a loophole in the plan to ensure that that would never happen.” Maggie grunted. “Supergirl works with the DEO, so the only neutral party was the NCPD and the MEI. Every test they did, every _speck_ of kryptonite they made, I was informed of.”

“So you knew this was happening all along. And you didn’t think to _warn_ us?!” Alex stepped back, reflecting on the ride here. Her eyes widened. “You _knew_ the second you set foot on the plane! You could have turned it around, you could have told us the _truth_!”

“J’onn called me – that wasn’t a lie. He heard that you were smuggling Kara on the plane, and he wanted me here because I have clearance. Just in case something like _this_ happened.”

“Then why didn’t you do something when she was being _poisoned_?” Alex shot back.

“Because I wanted to keep her goddamn _cover_ , Alex!”

_Alex_. Not _Danvers_.

_Alex._

Heavy breathing filled the thick silence.

“I-I know I fucked up, okay?!” Maggie panted, sagging down to the floor once more. The explanation had depleted her of the last bit of energy she had to keep herself upright. “I sent out a message to the MEI that the kryptonite tests were compromised. If it goes according to plan, they’ll inform the SecDef that we’re in trouble, and shut down the base.”

“How long will that take?” Came Kara’s shaky voice.

“Long enough.”

Kara lowered herself down onto the ground as well. Alex was speechless for a second, processing the information dumped on her in the last few minutes.

She couldn’t believe for a _second_ that the woman she used to love – the woman she wanted to _marry_ – had been greenlighting kryptonite tests designed to _kill_ her sister at the snap of a fingers.

Maggie _knew_ Kara. Maggie _loved_ Kara.

This was… impossible.

“Why didn’t you _walk away_ …”

It wasn’t an accusation as much as a plea. Alex felt her throat closing up, and tears well up in her eyes.

It wasn’t the reaction Kara had anticipated at all. Kara had been ready to leap in case Alex lunged at Maggie, in a fit of rage attempting to take out her anger and confusion on the woman in front of her.

But once again, Kara underestimated how much Maggie had meant to Alex.

The agent fell to her knees, and started sobbing.

Maggie seemed emotional too at the sight, but her weakened state didn’t allow for more than watching helplessly.

Kara veered upright and ran towards her sister, shushing her gently and holding her by the side of the head, tenderly embracing her. “It’s okay… Alex – I’m here. Can you feel my heartbeat? Hey – _focus_ , Alex. _Listen_.”

Maggie watched silently as Kara did what she herself had done so many times before.

When Alex and her were still together and the agent came home after a long mission, or a close call in the field had both of them reeling, they attempted to calm the other down by listening to their heartbeat. Reminding them that they were there, in the present, and that nothing bad would happen _for now_.

But Alex had been right. Maggie had been wallowing in self pity ever since the breakup – blaming herself for not making things right with her soulmate every step of the way.

Now, she was done pretending she couldn’t help this.

While Kara was still whispering quietly to Alex – Maggie could only make out a few sounds, but she was pretty sure it was Kryptonese – she struggled to get back on her feet.

Kara’s wide, questioning eyes turned to her the second she heard a grunt of pain, but Maggie ignored her. She reached for her gun and checked the clip. _Seven more bullets_.

_Just in case._

“What are you doing?!” Kara said, unconsciously moving closer to Alex to shield her, just in case she was reading the situation completely wrong.

“What I should have done a long time ago.” Maggie stumbled towards the ladder with a sad smile. “… _walk away_.”

“What?! No- _Maggie_!” Kara gently eased the still shaking form of Alex to the ground, before raising a hand carefully, as if she was talking someone down from jumping off a building.

“She’s right, Kara. I need to make this right. I need to – I need to get them to stop hunting you so we can get you under the sunlamps back in National City.”

“They’re going to _shoot_ you on sight! You _killed_ one of them!”

Maggie threw another sad smile her way, before moving to the first step of the ladder. Kara took another step in her direction, shaking her head fiercely. “I am _not_ letting you do this!”

Maggie closed her eyes, shaking her head ever so slightly, before raising the gun and pointing it at her. “You’re standing next to altered kryptonite, Kara. I know how weak you feel. They tested the stuff on humans – I know _everything_ about kryptonite now.”

Kara’s stomach somersaulted upon hearing the words.

“A shot through your chest would _kill_ you.”

“You’re not going to shoot me, Maggie.”

“I won’t if you let me go fix this.”

Kara knew that Maggie was just bluffing to let her leave. But if she _did_ leave and she got herself killed, Alex would never forgive her.

It would destroy her.

“Stuck between a rock and a hard place, huh?” Maggie smirked weakly, immediately doubling over from another wave of pain.

“You need medical attention.” Kara tried. “Let Alex _help_ you. We can work this out – _you_ were the one that wanted to stay here. If you’re going up there, I’m going with you.”

“ _No_. No, that’s not how this works, Kara.” Maggie shook her head. “You don’t know what’s in that kryptonite – this stuff will kill you.”

“It’s going to kill you too. _Look_ at you.”

“I’ve had worse.” Maggie repeated. “I don’t understand how the two of you don’t get that. It missed organs, it’s tissue damage.”

“So you’re a doctor now too?”

Maggie flashed another weak grin. “Might’ve taken a course or two. Had to do _something_  to fill the void, you know?”

The sudden guilt hit Kara like a brick wall.

She’d been so busy comforting Alex through the pain of the breakup, that she’d never even checked how Maggie was doing.

And through everything, she still thought in her mind that she and the detective were friends.

_Some friend she had been._

She’d left Maggie behind when she’d needed someone the most.

At least Alex had had her friends and family to support her.

Maggie apparently saw the struggle unfolding, because she shook her head and lowered the gun. “Don’t worry, Kara. I’m not blaming you. She needed you more than I did.”

“I could have done _something_. And I didn’t.”

“ _None_ of you did.”

There was so much raw sadness in those four words, that it completely took Kara’s breath away.

“I’m used to being on my own, Kara. Don’t beat yourself up over it. You did what you had to do.”

For a few seconds, Kara actually accepted the kryptonite as an adequate source of karma for how she’d treated Maggie. Then, she filed the thought away.

She stared at the ground for a few seconds, before nodding slowly and meeting the detective’s eyes. “I’m not leaving you behind again. _Ever_ again.”

“You’ll have to choose between me and her, Kara. And you’ll choose _her_ everytime. And I _get_ it – of course I get it.”

Kara didn’t respond directly, but she turned around and whispered something to Alex’s shaky form. After a few sentences, the agent nodded weakly, and pulled herself up to press her back against the wall, sitting upright.

Maggie could see that Alex’s eyes were puffy from crying, but the breakdown had moved on to hiccups, quiet sobs, and staring at the wall.

It was obvious that whatever Kara had said, had done the trick.

“Now, come on.” Kara moved to Maggie’s side and leaned forward. “ _Before she changes her mind_.”

“What?” Maggie frowned. But Kara ignored her, climbing up the ladder.

This alerted her immediately, her eyes widening. “ _Kara_! What are you doing?!”

Kara glanced down at her. “I’m helping you make this right again.”

A loud groaning sound, as the metal hatch opened and sunlight flooded the bunker once more. Maggie squinted instinctively against the burning light, but could still see the outline of Kara - her hand outstretched towards her from above.

Glancing back at Alex, she realized she didn’t have a choice.

 

 


End file.
